Family: Glasgow Comedy Festival's children's line-up

As recent graduates from Cbeebies to CBBC, a whole new world of comedy entertainment has presented itself to our family. Shows such as Prank Patrol, Gigglebiz, and Sorry, I've Got No Head (think Game for a Laugh, The Peter Serafinowicz Show and Little Britain respectively) mean we can share a good laugh without the use of obscenities.

However, there's no excuse for remaining couch potatoes as this year's Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival has a line-up including shows and workshops for comedy-lovers of all ages. For the littlest of Britons the line-up includes traditional funnies such as Punch and Judy and Jango the Clown – aka Clive Andrews, who is sure to entertain with slapstick antics, magic and juggling (his show is suitable for children aged three and over).

There's more on offer for school-aged kids. At the Comical Characters Workshop visitors can make their own rod puppet, while the Light and Shadow Puppet Workshop will teach them how to make a shadow puppet and use it on a touch screen.

Puppets take control in The Mildly Terrible Revenge of the Slightly Evil Brainwashing Puppets (ages five to nine). Doctor Who fans can enjoy a spot of time travel with Doctor Austin and Doug Safety (inset) in their tongue-twisting Time-Tastical Time Tale (ages six to 12 and their families). The Comedy Club opens its doors to kids at the weekends with a different line-up each day (best for ages eight to 12, no under fives, and all young comedy fans must be accompanied by an adult).

The hot-ticket show is sure to be Howard Read and his side-kick Little Howard – the world's first six-year-old, animated, interactive, "standing-up comedian" (pictured, top).

"Born" at the Fringe in 2002, Big Howard, Little Howard has developed into a double act worthy of its slot on the Royal Variety Performance in 2007, and younger children may recognise a familiar face from Little Howard's Big Question (CBBC).

Initially touring it as an "adult" show, creator Howard Read explains how "during the tour I realised that adults thought it was a kids' show but the parents with children in the audience hadn't realised the material was aimed at adults". Since then the obscenities have been dropped and Read has used his dyslexia to his advantage – Little Howard's innocent misunderstanding of words has resulted in a hilarious act with "gags for everyone, all the time".

While in Glasgow, Little Howard will discover that Big Howard has a real son – three-year-old Samson (Read is also father to 20-month-old Mabel), and the resulting sibling rivalry is sure to be familiar territory to many parents.

Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival, until Sunday 28 March. For information, visit www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com

• This article was first published in The Scotsman, Saturday March 13, 2010